Lorain County gets fit with United We Sweat (with video)

By
Eric Bonzar, The Morning Journal

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Finding the perfect routine to keep fit and stay healthy can be just as strenuous as the program you choose.
So, for those who are unsure where to even begin, or are not content entering a gym for the first time, the United Way of Greater Lorain County has devised a program intended to take out all of that guess work, and make first timers feel as comfortable as a pair of yoga pants.
Ryan Aroney, development associate for the United Way of Greater Lorain County, said the organization works to “advance the common good of the community by focusing on education, income, health and basic needs.”">Video: United We Sweat
Through the organization’s United We Sweat campaign — running throughout September — it allows them a more impactful way to educate the community, Aroney said.
“It’s an opportunity to stress on the points of where we are focused,” Aroney said. “Health is one of those areas, and decreasing risk-factors that are involved with sedentary lifestyle and being overweight is another.”
Aroney said the events planned throughout the month-long program were coordinated as a two-fold design.
“One, we wanted to reach out to people who weren’t necessarily exercising or people who aren’t members at a fitness center. Two, we wanted to bring awareness to what activities and facilities are available throughout the county, and what it means to be active and physically fit,” Aroney said.
“It is a way to bring awareness to healthy living, while also bringing access to people who may not have the resources to exercise on their own,” he added.
Aroney said that for some people, going to a fitness center could be an intimidating type of environment, so the committee designed fun classes to ease those tensions.
“We have organized a dog-walking day at the Vermilion River Reservation and also a playground activity at the Mercy Health and Recreation Center, which was designed to show parents and their children how to get active together,” he said. “We wanted to organize a lot of non-intimidating, low-impact-type classes or events for people to do so they can just get active and see what is out there.”
Aroney said while promoting a healthy lifestyle, the campaign also gives residents the opportunity to experience the county’s Metro Parks as well.
“Just by taking a walk, they can experience the great metro park system we have,” he added.
In its third year, the United We Sweat campaign has grown thanks to the EMH Center for Health and Fitness, and its general manager, Brad Calabrese, Aroney said.
“He was the person who came up with the idea a couple of years ago,” he said. “He served as a volunteer on our campaign cabinet, so he put us in touch with important contacts to help us run the campaign.”
Aroney said the campaign started in 2011 at the EMH Center for Health and Fitness in Avon.
“It was pretty much what you will see this year, but it was only done in their buildings,” Aroney said. “They opened up classes for non-members and members alike, to come in and try.”
This year, Aroney said that Calabrese came to him due to the program’s growth and suggested seeing if other centers within the community wanted to get involved.
“It just picked up steam, so we went from there,” Aroney said.
Unique to this year, the program will culminate on Sept. 28 at Lorain County Community College, which will host a Fit Fest and Zumbathon on its campus.
“They loved the idea, and offered to host the Fit Fest, so we are using that event as a wrap-up for our campaign,” Aroney said.
He said Fit Fest will offer a follow-up opportunity for those who participated in one or multiple United We Sweat activities held throughout the month.
“You’ve learned some new things, you’ve tried these different things out throughout the month, now what do you do with it? That is where the Fit Fest comes in,” Aroney said.
He said on Sept. 28, all of the partners who are involved in the United We Sweat campaign will be on hand at the college with follow-up information on memberships, and to the participating recreation and fitness centers and classes that they provide at their facilities.
Fit Fest will also offer free health screenings and advice on exercises that people looking to become fit can do within their own homes.
Dieticians conducting wellness classes and demonstrations will also attend the event, Aroney said.
He went on to say that Fit Fest will also offer an incentive to those who not only attend the event, but also to those who participated in United We Sweat events throughout the month.
“Every event you attend throughout the month we keep track of your attendance, so at the Fit Fest we are going to be raffling off prizes,” Aroney said. “So for every event you attended throughout the month, you get an extra chance to win. We will have prizes that include memberships to the centers, personal training sessions, pedometers for tracking your walking, and other fun, valuable, health-and-wellness-types of prizes.”
To see what United We Sweat events are scheduled for the remainder of this month, visit http://bit.ly/17IpGET.